January Jazz Fest returns to Centenary Stage Co.

Clarinetist Benny Goodman played one type of jazz. Guitarist Django Reinhardt performed another. The brass bands of New Orleans represented a third style.

But one element unites all those traditions: rhythm.

The rhythms echo in three concerts on successive Saturdays, beginning Jan. 10, at Centenary Stage Co. The performances make up the annual January Jazz Fest.

Each concert pays tribute to musical traditions that go back nearly a century. Taken together, they prove that – when it comes to jazz – the beat really does go on.

Rubin: Long live the King (of Swing)

The royalty of jazz includes a Count (Basie), a Duke (Ellington), and at least one Lady (Billie Holiday, "Lady Day"). But Stan Rubin is quick to point out that there was only one king: Benny Goodman, the "King of Swing."

Rubin proudly recalls playing a clarinet solo in "Mission to Moscow" (one of the songs associated with Goodman) during a 1954 performance at Carnegie Hall as a member of the Tigertown Five. He also has a picture of himself with Goodman.

Though Rubin no longer performs, the orchestra that he has assembled and leads is his way of paying homage to the king.

The Stan Rubin Orchestra performs a host of songs from Goodman's repertoire, including such signature pieces as "Let's Dance," "Jersey Bounce," "Don't Be That Way," "Stomping at the Savoy," and "Sing Sing Sing."

"Benny had artistry, based on ability," says Rubin. "Each tune had a different sound. He hired only the best people to play with him, and each one had improvisational skill. Their solos were hummable and danceable."

For his own orchestra, Rubin says he has tried to hold a similar standard of excellence. "There are young players coming up who preserve the melody in their improvisation. They're the ones I want playing in my orchestra."

Davis' Big Easy beat

Stanton Davis Jr. has lived in a number of locales, including Boston, Manhattan, and New Jersey. But his heart and his music remain in his native New Orleans.

"You have the mix of Cuban and Spanish rhythms. You have the simplicity of the lyrics," he says. "There's something about the way people in New Orleans always have a good time."

Davis has performed with a wide array of jazz musicians, including Cab Calloway, Lester Bowie, and George Russell.

But he also found work in the pit orchestras of Broadway musicals, such as "Ain't Misbehavin'" and "Jelly's Last Jam." While playing for these shows, Davis encountered other artists who either were from New Orleans or appreciated the city's music.

Those artists form the core of the New Orleans Sound, the group that Davis will bring to January Jazz Fest. "We play traditional jazz, like 'Wildcat Blues' and second-line tunes, along with the contemporary pieces that I heard growing up."

Davis adds that he still visits the Crescent City, and even in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, the city's spirit thrives. "There's still live music, there are still younger people playing music," he says. "It still feels the same."

Levinson celebrates Django's gypsy jazz

In 1983, while he was a student at New York University, Dan Levinson paid a visit to Tower Records and heard the sound that changed his life.

"It was a combination of three guitars and a violin," he recalls. "It was something I had never heard before. The cashier showed me the record, and I bought it. I thought the musician's name was pronounced 'duh-jango.' "

Levinson soon learned the proper way to say "Django Reinhardt." And though Tower Records is defunct, his affection for Reinhardt's gypsy jazz remains undimmed.

Levinson's five-piece ensemble Fete Manouche is his contribution to the preservation of gypsy jazz. He notes that places throughout Europe, as well as cities like New York and New Orleans, have "hot clubs" that specialize in that rhythmic jazz.

"Fete Manouche incorporates modern jazz idioms," Levinson says. "We're not copying the solos from old records. But we're keeping the music to its roots. We play tunes written by Django and a few tunes written since his time but in his style."

"The call for gypsy jazz is great," Levinson says. "The artists who play it are getting younger. That's what's so exciting."

JANUARY JAZZ FEST

WHAT: Concerts on three successive weekends showcase three different traditions in jazz. The Stan Rubin Orchestra performs music associated with Benny Goodman, the "King of Swing." Jazz trumpeter Stanton Davis Jr. performs Dixieland jazz in the style of his native New Orleans. The rhythms of gypsy jazz exemplified by Django Reinhardt come alive with Fete Manouche, a small ensemble led by clarinetist Dan Levinson.

WHEN: 8 p.m., Saturdays, Jan. 10 (Stan Rubin Orchestra), 17 (Stanton Davis & the New Orleans Sound), and 24 (Fete Manouche)

WHERE: David and Carol Lackland Center, Centenary College, 715 Grand Ave., Hackettstown

TICKETS: For Stanton Davis and Fete Manouche: $22.50 in advance per show; $27.50 day of show ($15 in advance for children age 12 and under; $20 day of show). For Stan Rub Orchestra: $30 in advance; $35 day of show ($20 for children age 12 and under; $25 day of show).

INFORMATION: 908-979-0900 or www.centenarystageco.org.